Some nonprofit organizations make money by collecting donated items, but when those items are left to be picked up, trash pickers may be getting to the stuff first.

News 8’s Meredith Jorgensen talked to one organization that is trying to stop that.

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The company, Green Drop, and its drivers pick up donations on behalf of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

Most people part with old clothes or household items, but sometimes the pickup doesn’t go smoothly.

“From time to time when a driver goes out, a donation might not be there,” said Justin Saracena, with Green Drop.

"Now that you have eBay and you have pickers that are watching shows on TV, sometimes people will get a little aggressive, and there are dishonest people in the world,” said Ed Constantini, with Green Drop.

Any item that doesn’t make it in the truck is money lost for Purple Heart. Green Drop has some suggestions for donors.

“We just try to inform them and teach them going forward how to better prepare for our driver to come by and make sure it’s a successful pickup,” said Saracena.

“It should be boxed, it should be bagged, and it should be marked for Purple Heart,” said Constantini.

They don’t want donations to be mistaken for garbage.

“Garbage bags are a common thing that people will put their donation in. You know, you are cleaning out your closest, you grab a couple of shirts and you throw them in a trash bag. For us, it’s as simple as putting a little piece of paper on there that says 'Purple Heart,'” said Saracena.

Putting donations in a small grocery bag can be convenient, but imagine how confusing it can be when that’s what’s on the curb.

“Don’t set your donations out by the trash can. You know, have them maybe set back from the curb a little bit,” said Saracena.

Keep an eye out for a legitimate Green Drop crew.

“All our drivers wear these nice orange shirts and are easily identified. So if you see someone coming through the neighborhood and they are not wearing an orange shirt, there might be a problem,” said Saracena.

“Unfortunately, it happens,” said Constantini.

But a few simple steps will help turn your donations into treasure.

Before trying to take someone else’s trash, check with the local municipality. In some areas, garbage picking is illegal.

To skip leaving donations on the curb, there is a Green Drop collections center on the 5000 block of Jonestown Road in Harrisburg.